May 7th, 2019

Author: Stacy McNaught

Dan joined our community for over a year now (March 2018) from the bright lights of Dunedin. He already had a fair bit of the CrossFits under his belt prior to his arrival but was keen to continue his journey with CFWS and grow his skills further.

As always, the best way to get to know Dan more is to take some time to chat next time you see him in the box.

Name: Dan Leslie

Life Level (Age): 31

Job: Care Worker/Nursing Student

When did you start with CFWS? : March 18

Your Fundamentals experience? : Didn’t do the Fundamentals as I’d already done some CrossFit before, but I got all my movements assessed by Ruth and there weren’t any massive problems!

Your CrossFit experience to date? : CFWS has been great in my mind as there’s such a big focus on correct movement. It’s the first gym I’ve actually been taught how to do a burpee in!

Life outside of CFWS? : My partner and I are new homeowners since December, so I get to knock holes in walls and pay rates and all that adult stuff now!

I’ve currently read 8 books out of a goal of 24 for the year, but aside from study, work and gym, I don’t do much else exciting!

Any movements you particularly like? : Squats, anything heavy generally. I also like thrusters and burpees for their simplicity and brutalness!

What movements are you paying particular attention too? : Pull-ups are something I should put more work into, and double unders don’t actually seem impossible anymore!

Anything coming up on your to-do list?? : I want to snatch my bodyweight – probably should lose some weight to make it easier.

If you had a warning label for yourself, what would it say? : Hide your food

What is one of your most weird quirks? : I always have 2-4 trains of thought going through my head at once – one just plays music in my head 24/7 though!

If you joined the circus, what would your act be? : Strongman!! Or the bearded woman…

What is the first thing that you do when you wake up? : Check what the WOD is.

Have you ever met someone famous? : I once asked Rachel Hunter how she was doing, she said ‘good, how are you?’ I said ‘good thanks’. I’m a conversation whizz

Do you prefer to swim in pools of the ocean? : Ocean definitely

What makes you angrier than it really should? : When people don’t reply to emails or texts fully, clearly and concisely – I’m looking at you, academia.

What makes you laugh more than it really should? : People falling over. Especially kids to be honest!

Have you read any good books lately? : Plenty! One that sticks out is The Murderbot Diaries – it’s about a killer robot that gets free will, but has social anxiety and just wants to watch Netflix all day, but has to protect people and such.

What life lesson have you had to learn the hard way? : That it’s ok to quit. Like Marie Kondo says, if it’s not sparking joy, get rid of it!